One of the key questions when treating CPA is optimal length of drug regimens. New research is challenging established views of treatment length. CPA is an uncommon and problematic pulmonary disease, complicating many other respiratory disorders, thought to affect over three million people globally. The most common form of CPA is chronic cavitary pulmonary aspergillosis […]
Histoplasmosis in Guatemala – the danger of under-estimating fungal infections
Histoplasmosis is recognised as a major complication in those with HIV, even when receiving anti-retroviral treatment, but exact rates for this infection have been unclear. A new study carried out by Narda Medina and colleagues has shown that histoplasmosis is more prevalent than originally thought. Their screening programme in Guatemala demonstrated overall histoplasmosis incidence in […]
Indonesian study shows link between fungal infections and tuberculosis (TB), with global implications
Tuberculosis is a debilitating respiratory disease that the World Health Organization estimates kills 1.5 million people annually. Worldwide, TB is the 13th leading cause of death. Although TB is treatable, this new Indonesian case study highlights the dangers of not having a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis, as suspected TB could be masking chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA). TB […]
Call for World Health Organization to classify Talaromycosis as a Neglected Tropical Disease
LIFE Worldwide’s David Denning has contributed to an international panel of experts calling for Talaormycosis to be classified as a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD). Talaromycosis is caused by the fungus Talaromyces marneffei and is endemic in the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia. Human infection is presumed to occur via inhalation of T. marneffei spores […]
New PCR test developed to identify Coccidioidomycosis agents
A joint study between New York State Department Mycology Laboratory and the Department of Medical Mycology at the University of California has developed a new PCR test with the ability to detect and differentiate between Coccidioides immitis and C. posadasii. Coccidioidomycosis is often referred to as ‘valley fever’ and the fungus Coccidioides grows in soils in areas of low […]
Largest study of COVID-19-associated mucormycosis in India
A panel of 97 clinicians working in India have just released an expedited study looking at 2986 cases of COVID-19-associated rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis (ROCM). This disease has reached epidemic proportion during India’s second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and this large-scale study provides important insights into the pathogenesis and treatment of ROCM. This paper outlines the […]
Post-TB chronic pulmonary aspergillosis – global case studies
Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent worldwide. The highest burden is found in Africa and Asia – mostly linked to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic in these regions. The 2020 World Health Organization (WHO) TB report showed that globally in 2019, 10 million people developed this disease. […]
Histoplasmosis in the United States – new insights and myth busting
A new study carried out by the Mycotic Diseases Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, US is dispelling some of the common myths around histoplasmosis in the US. Previous research has theorised that histoplasmosis is the most common endemic mycosis in the United States and that its distribution is […]
Retrospective study aims to quantify global burden of chromoblastomycosis
Chromoblastomycosis (CBM) is classed as a Neglected Tropical Disease and the global burden for this infection has never before been classified. This new study considers published literature from 1914 to 2020. Over this period, a total of 7,740 patients with CBM were identified on all continents except Antarctica. Of these cases the authors identified 4,022 […]
Reports of echinocandin-resistant Candida auris in healthcare settings
The Centers for Disease Control is calling Candida auris a ‘global emerging threat’. Pan-resistant C. auris isolates have been reported previously, although rarely, from the United States. Echinocandins are critical for treatment of C. auris infections and are recommended as first-line therapy for most invasive Candida infections, but the Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory Network has detected independent clusters of pan-resistant or echinocandin-resistant […]